Troy Tulowitzki unlikely to be healthy enough for opener

Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Troy Tulowitzki is unlikely to be ready for Opening Day because of a bone spur on his right heel, manager John Gibbons said Sunday.

“I don’t expect he’ll be ready. But he’s moving in the right direction, so who knows?” Gibbons said.

Tulowitzki’s 2017 season ended on July 28 when he sprained his right ankle and also suffered ligament damage.

Though Game 7 would receive the most attention, it was Maddon’s Game 6 decisions which created his dilemma that was to come. Leading 7-2 in Game 6, he brought Chapman into the game in the seventh inning. It was hardly a save situation, and considering the closer’s Game 5 workload, many were left wondering if it was the right move.

“It was the middle of their batting order,” Maddon explained afterward. “There was just no other way to look at that and feel good, man. That could have been the ballgame right there. I thought the game could have been lost right there if we did not take care of it properly.”

Santana went 16-8 with a 3.28 ERA in 33 starts last season for the Twins, who earned an AL wild-card berth one year after losing 103 games.

Cody Bellinger, 1B, Los Angeles Dodgers (ADP: 27.5): In a dynasty league, he’d be my first 1B off the board — yes, even ahead of Paul Goldschmidt, Joey Votto and Anthony Rizzo. Sure, recommending the NL Rookie of the Year may seem too obvious, but in part because of the position he plays, he’s going a full round after his AL Rookie of the Year counterpart, Aaron Judge. Quite frankly, given what I feel is a much greater risk of Judge going into a prolonged slump, I’d much rather take my chances with 22-year-old Bellinger.

Rhys Hoskins, 1B, Philadelphia Phillies (ADP: 52.6): In a re-draft league, it’s a close call as to whether I trust Hoskins and his 170 career at-bats to be included in my top 10 at first base. However, when you factor in his age (25), and the fact he calls Citizens Bank Park — far and away the best stadium for home runs last season — his home, along with an OBP of .396, and I’d give him a very realistic chance at finishing in the top five at his position in 2018. He’s got far more years in his prime ahead of himself than most of his 1B peers, which makes him an intriguing inclusion on this list.